Couples Weekend in Pai: At the Best Hotel in Thailand for $100

For my 33rd birthday, Larissa and I wanted to go somewhere nice for the weekend. Pai is a small mountain town 3.5 hours away from Chiang Mai and was the perfect weekend trip. We've heard from at least six different people how amazing a new hotel in Pai was so we had to check it out. At first we were tempted to read reviews and find a good deal on a decent place in Pai, but then I thought:

"You know what, fuck it, it's my birthday, let's just stay at the nicest hotel in Pai, the one everyone recommended, regardless of the price."

I looked at the price of the rooms and thought, $110 a night isn't that bad. Compared to the U.S. it's pretty normal to spend $100 a night at any random hotel, and even though 3,500 baht a night is a lot compared to the 350 baht a night guest houses you can find in Pai, I just wanted to splurge.

What's crazy is that the last time I was in Pai, exactly 13 months ago I had just started building my dropshipping store and almost didn't go because I was so focused on getting that first sale. I was also broke, which is why I stayed in a tiny bamboo bungalow with shared bathrooms for 150 baht a night which is $4.70US a night.

However, it was absolutely worth the trip for three reasons, two of which were life changing.

We rode the Chiang Mai to Pai mountain road on rented motorcycles and had a blast going through 762 turns. It was a 3.5 hour drive and we were lucky to have great weather.

Not working for a weekend really helped me refocus on what was important, it was just 3 weeks after getting back from Pai that I made my first sale and I really think having that weekend break helped with it.

While there, I snuck into the Montis Resort in Pai just for a sneak peak. I honestly thought to myself then that I would never be able to afford to stay at a place like that.

Exactly 1 year and 1 month later, my life and bank account has completely changed.

Thinking about it now $110 a night really isn't that much money, especially for the value you get for that out here. But my mindset just wasn't there back then. I honestly would say things like,

"I would never want to spend that much on a hotel, especially when you can stay at a simple place for 350 baht ($10US) a night"

"People that spend that much on a hotel are stupid."

This year, I realized that I've been lying to myself.

Is there really a reason not to stay at the best hotel in Pai, especially if it's such a good value and really not overpriced at all? I don't know if I'll ever be able to justify spending $700US a night on a hotel room, which is what this place would have been back home, but honestly for $110 this place was a steal. Here's a video of our weekend:

Here's what you get for $110 a night:

Free car service from the hotel into town and back. You can literally call them from anywhere in Pai, anytime and they come pick you up for free.

One of the most beautiful rooms I've ever stayed in, with so much attention to detail. A great bathtub, day bed to lay around and read, and peace and quiet.

An incredible view of the mountains, river and lush greenery around you.

Two amazing salt water swimming pools in a tranquil setting.

Incredible breakfast for two.

Live music, access to the best restaurant and chef in Pai and even a dvd lending library.

Our Room

Pool Side

Breakfast Menu

Full Breakfast

Fruit and Cheese Board

Meat and Cheese Board

If you haven't noticed already, we loved the food there. The restaurant at Reverie Siam is called the "Silhouette Bar" and has some of the best food I've eaten outside of New York. My sister was thoughtful enough to prepay $100US for us at the hotel as a birthday present. The crazy thing was, even though we ate almost every single meal at the hotel all weekend, ordered cheese boards randomly during the day to snack on, and even had dessert every night, we never got a bill for it.

The $100 my sister had prepaid was enough to cover three dinners, four desserts, two cheese boards, and lunch. Our meals averaged $20US for both of us and were some of the most amazing meals I've had anywhere in the world.

I highly recommend staying at Reverie Siam in Pai next time you are in Thailand. They get booked up quickly as they are currently the #1 rated hotel in Pai on Tripadvisor.

To reserve a room at Reverie Siam, do it on Agoda.com as they always have the best rates.

If you're curious how I managed to start an online business that now allows me to afford this life of travel, and the income to stay at nice hotels instead of cheap bungalows, read my blog post here.

I really hope everyone reading this gets to experience the joy that I did this past weekend. Plan your trip out to Thailand and make sure you include a few nights in Pai, it's really a magical place.

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Dude, you've been living in Thailand for too long if you think $100 a night is anywhere near pricey. Here in Cambridge, England, a basic room in a normal no-frills hotel in or near the town centre will cost you £100 ($171) a night, easy. That's at the low end. A freakin' bunk bed in a dorm in the youth hostel sharing with 7 other sweaty hombres will set you back $50 for the night, no problem.

Also, you can afford it. Heck, you could live at Reverie Siam if you wanted to. $3k a month on rent wouldn't exactly be cheap but it wouldn't be beyond your means, either.

I am a bit spoiled living here for so long. I forget that a crappy hotel room in San Francisco, New York or Toronto is $150 a night. It's insane to think about it, but you're right, we could literally live in the resort for an entire month, be taken care of hand and foot, fed breakfast, driven around, all for $3,300 a month for BOTH of us. Thailand gives so much value it's incredible.

The best thing about it that I didn't even mention is that I made enough sales over the weekend that it more than paid for the entire trip. And that was passive income.

Hey Johnny, This is that "Other Asian American guy from Hawaii". Seriously, from ALL the help you have given others.....you DESERVE to stay at $100 (AT LEAST $100) a night hotels. Actually, from seeing how nice that hotel was, $100 a night is a steal! Thanks for posting a great blog about Pai. I always had it on the back of my mind to go visit there but now after seeing this blog, Pai is definitely on my "to go" list even to just stay at the Reverie Siam!

Hey Jon, I'm glad this post inspired you to go to Pai. You and your wife will love staying at Reverie. I am glad we went and enjoyed it after working hard all these months! Thanks for always supporting!

Hey Johnny, how come you never talk about what you are selling on your drop ship business and never advertise your website on this blog? Maybe your blog reader are interested and you might make more sales? Does that make sense?

It definitely makes sense and I'm sure i'd get a sale here and there from it, but as Anton mentions in his course, it's best not to talk too publically about your niches as it drives up the competition. I'm pretty lucky that I've convinced my main supplier not to approve any new online only stores, but even then I'd rather keep a bit of privacy. People that know me in person generally know what my stores are, but I try not to make it too public. =)

Please take a second to log in before you comment. I've turned off the anonymous commenting option. I'm open and respectful with you, please be the same back. Stay positive, trolls and spam comments will be automatically deleted.

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